By Kim Delgado - Owner of KD Novelties

One of the most important things that you as a parent must do for your child is to help them to read.  It is important to start your child off early on some type of reading program.  Setting aside some quiet time where everyone can read is critical to the success of your child’s reading ability and comprehension.  Below are some tips that I have always incorporated into my household and I’m passing onto all parents for reference.



Make Reading Fun and Enjoyable
Always make reading a fun activity so that your child does not grow up dreading to read a book or indicate that it is “boring”.

Use body language and create different voices for the different characters in the story.  Using creativity and emphasis on what you read will entice your child to want to hear more and participate in the story.

Ask questions about the story, this will involve participation from your child.  Ask “What would you do?”  or “Why do you think this happened?”  Encourage your child to ask you questions about the story.  Not only will they participate but learn at the same time about how to deal or handle certain situations.  There is always a moral to any story.

Talk about the pictures in the story.  You can engage in conversations about the pictures in which you can ask your child “what is happening here?”  Then read the story and see if he or she is correct.  Pointing out familiar objects in pictures helps your child to identify and use them more easily when learning to read and write.  He or she will be eager to learn when the objects are connected to things that are part of their lives.  Constant repetition of objects or phrases will always strengthen a child’s memory.

Read to your child or have your child read what they like to read.  Whether it be their favorite cartoon characters, fairy tales, hobbies or interests it will help boost their enthusiasm for reading.  Don’t push books that you think your child should be reading, let them pick out their own books.  Children need their own identity and by reading what they like will make the overall experience more enjoyable.

Encourage Children to Become Avid Readers
Take trips to your local library and make sure your child has a library card.   You will open up a magical world for them to see that there is a place filled with books and that everyone gathers there to read and learn.

Be a good reading “model” and let your child see YOU read!

A Few Minutes is OK
Young children can only sit for a few minutes for a story, but as they grow, they will sit longer.  If you make your child read more, they will more than likely grow frustrated and be turned off to reading as a whole.

Games and activities will reinforce active learning.  It teaches children how to form sentences, solve problems and read independently.

Always have books in your child’s room from birth so that they can be easily accessible at all times.

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